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Thursday, May 2, 2019

Someone Just Transformed His Porsche from a 996 to a 991 Model

Ah, the Porsche 911 “996 series”—the one with the “fried egg” headlights. Though it featured huge technological advancements for the 911 (the first water-cooled engine for one), it was largely unloved because it looked too much like a Boxster, and well, it suffered from some engineering issues.
On the other hand, there’s the “991 series,” considered to be one of the finest 911s to come out of Stuttgart. It featured an all-new platform (only the third since the original 911 launched in 1963) that made it bigger, but also lighter.

Given the fourteen-year gap between them, it’s bound that someone would ask: what it would take to transform a 996 to a 991? Well, if you talked to Porsche, they’d probably laugh at you. Real hard. Like laugh and cry at the same time, hard.

But an enterprising body kit maker in Pasig has found a way to do just that: transform a 1997-era 911 into what looks like a 2011-era 911. Oh, and in the process, the silver 911 shown also jumped a couple of model grades from an entry-level Carrera 2 into what looks like a hardcore GT3.

Starbright Custom Paint and Bodykits is the shop responsible. Considered the pioneer of body kits in the Philippines (they started in 1989), they swapped the entire front-end while also giving the rear part the wide body treatment. Along the way, they added some engine ducting too and a large rear spoiler. Fitted with proper Porsche lights and badging, it’ll actually pass for the real thing.

Of course, Porschephiles will immediately notice that the proportions are a bit off and stuff, but hey considering this kit costs P 550,000? It must have helped some Porsche 996 owner sleep better at night.